On February 14, 2020, the Prime Minister held the ninth meeting of the Novel Coronavirus Response Headquarters at the Prime Minister’s Office.

At the meeting, a discussion was held on the response to the novel coronavirus.

Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said,

“Yesterday, a patient who tested positive passed away for the first time in Japan. I sincerely pray for the repose of her soul. In addition, there also have been new cases reported as of yesterday.

The Government is collaborating with local governments and other relevant authorities and has already established 536 consultation centers covering all prefectures in Japan to alleviate the concerns among the public. It is developing a domestic structure for consultation and medical treatment in place.

If you are concerned about your symptoms, such as cough or fever, first please consult your nearest center. We have developed a solid system that will introduce you to medical institutions with medical examination and treatment systems firmly in place in case that infection is suspected.

Furthermore, we are asking cooperation of local governments so that consultation centers will operate 24 hours a day, even on Saturdays and Sundays.

Moreover, in order to advance deliberations over our countermeasures based on expert knowledge even more than ever before, we will establish an expert meeting under this Headquarters, which consist of infectious disease specialists working on the frontline in their respective fields, and strengthen our responses.

Having said that, in response to the novel coronavirus, it is extremely important to strictly exercise daily prevention measures.

I ask the public to stay calm and carry out the same preventive measures as for seasonal influenza, including washing hands and observing proper coughing etiquette. In particular, I would like to ask the elderly or those with underlying diseases to pay attention to prevention, including by avoiding visiting sites where a lot of people may gather.

The Government will exert every effort to enhance and strengthen its consultation and treatment structure, while responding thoroughly to the concerns of the public and collaborating with local governments across Japan to strengthen a screening system towards the prevention of outbreak. I ask everyone to continue making every possible effort.”